Recovering
by artigiano
Summary: A sequel to Kidnapped. Danny is recovering from his experiance. DL
1. Chapter 1

**_This story is for all of you that begged me to write a sequel:) I hope you like it!_**

**_Disclaimer: I'm not sure why I still write this. It's kinda obvious that I don't own any part of the show/characters, or else I wouldn't be sitting on my couch, writing stories- I'd be writing for the actual show:) But once again, I don't own anything._**

* * *

"No…Stop! Lindsay awoke quickly to the sound of Danny thrashing in bed beside her. Even though it had been four months since his kidnapping, he still had nightmares.

"Danny, wake up." She shook him gently, trying to rouse him from his terrifying dreams. It scared her when he was like this- tears streaming down his face and sweat building up, causing his face to no longer look peaceful and serene, but petrified and frightened. The Danny Messer she knew didn't get upset about anything, and so it scared her.

But since the accident, Lindsay thought, she had come to know him so much better. When she had first come to New York, the rumors of Danny Messer- well-known player of the lab- had circled her head. But after they started dating, Lindsay could see that he was passionate about his work and everything else in his life. He may have once been a man whose life was filled with one-night stands, but that was no longer. He had told her straight off that he intended to stay with her forever, wanting more than just a physical relationship with her. And he had stayed true to his word.

Their relationship was more than just good sex; they talked to each other about their problems, about their past, and their future. She had seen the side of Danny that no one else did, and he had done the same with her. However, seeing him like this still scared her. The cocky, suave man she loved was replaced by a quivering mass of vulnerability.

"Danny!" He hadn't woken up the first time, and so Lindsay shook him a little harder.

Finally, he opened his eyes, and instinctively hugged his knees to his chest. "Sorry."

His quiet reply always startled Lindsay when she had to wake him up. He had absolutely nothing to be sorry for- he had suffered a traumatic experience. It was normal for the mind to produce nightmares when the fear proved to be too much. She voiced said opinions.

"I know, but still. I hate waking you up. You need your rest too." His voice was still silent, and remorseful. Lindsay knew that he hated to bother her, to cause her anymore worry than he had previously.

"Danny, it's okay. I promise you." She kissed him gently, and he pulled her to him. Wrapping his arms around her stomach, they both drifted back off into a peaceful sleep.

* * *

At work the same day, Danny was paired with Stella on a double homicide. Both the man and woman had taken quite a beating, and the sight made Danny's stomach churn. All he could see was himself in the man, thinking what could have been if Mac and the others hadn't found him in time. He wished that he could have been processing with Lindsay, knowing that she would have lent him the strength that he lacked.

After collecting all the evidence, the pair headed back to the lab, where Danny hoped he could catch a glimpse of his girlfriend. Even seeing her would brighten his day. However, luck was not with him. Apparently, Lindsay had been assigned a case with Stella, leaving twenty minutes before he arrived back at the lab. This did nothing to brighten his day.

It wasn't that Danny was depressed, because he most certainly wasn't- he couldn't think of a time that he'd ever been happier. He had the woman that he loved, and there was almost never trouble in paradise. And things at the lab were going great also- Mac was happy with his work and they hadn't had a really horrible or trying case in a while. The only problems were Danny's fears.

When processing a scene, Danny tensed when someone approached him from behind; he could still remember the way that the Diker twins had gotten him from behind. Anywhere he saw dark shadows he saw the dark eyes of the men that had taken. When he dealt with a body that had been beaten, he felt the pain from the beating he had sustained. The nightmares he had at night were just as bad- even Lindsay didn't know the full extent of them.

Whenever she woke him up from his screaming, he told her that he was reliving some of his experience. However, the terror at night was always reaching a new extreme- he dreamt of darkness and terror, he saw the eyes of his abductors, felt their hands on him, saw the darker side of humanity. And the fact that it scared him so much shook him up a bit. He wasn't used to being vulnerable. The only thing that relieved his hurt was Lindsay. She could hold his hand, tell him everything would be alright and he would believe her. She just had a calming presence about her.

After sifting through the rest of the evidence, he decided that he could take off. It was almost 9 o'clock, and he'd been there since early this morning. Grabbing his coat out of locker, he decided that he would stop by Lindsay's apartment with a late night snack.

* * *

He jumped out off the subway, and walked to his favorite coffee shop. The woman working there looked him over three times before speaking to him. Inwardly, Danny laughed. A year ago, the thought of a beautiful woman would have sparked his interest; he would have flirted, tried to pick her up. However, since starting a relationship with Lindsay, he found it slightly annoying, something that he couldn't always understand. _What have you done to me Montana?_

"Can I get you anything?" The woman's voice startled Danny out of his thoughts.

"Uh…" He looked the menu over, thinking what to get Lindsay. "I'll have two apple ciders." It was slightly cold outside, and he figured that the caffeine wouldn't let anyone sleep. "And two croissants." A little snack never hurt either.

"That'll be $10.39." The woman's eye lingered too long on his body for his taste, and he quickly paid. After a while, the drinks came and he was able to extract himself from the woman's wandering gaze.

* * *

He found her lying on the couch, book on her chest, and eyes closed. Her curls were gently framing her face, and her face was peaceful. So peaceful that Danny almost regretted waking her. However, he needed to hear her voice, needed to get that comfort that he had lacked throughout the day. He looked at her sleeping form once more, and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "I love you Lindsay Monroe."

"Mmmm…I love you too Danny Messer." Her voice was soft and filled with sleep.

He pulled her into a hug and chuckled. The laugh rattled in his chest, and Lindsay loved hearing it. She pulled back and looked into his eyes. "Are you okay Danny?"

He nodded his head, wrapping his arms around her, and settling back into the couch. "I'm fine. I just missed working with you…Today's case was kinda trying."

Lindsay leaned up to him, and kissed him on the lips. "I'm sorry. You've had a tough time lately haven't you?"

Angry tears welled up in Danny's eyes. He hated being this weak, being susceptible to the emotions that had overwhelmed him so much since his kidnap. Wiping away at his eyes furiously, he tried to rub away the wetness. "It's nothing." He knew that his voice sounded hurt and stressed, and he desperately wanted it not to.

"Oh Danny!" Lindsay pulled him into a tight hug, wishing is pain would go away. She kissed him passionately, and Danny found that Lindsay was a perfect remedy for his pain. Smiling against her lips, he pulled back for a second.

"You really know how to make me smile, Montana."

She giggled. "What have I told you about calling me Montana, Cowboy?" She asked, using his nickname. Ever since he had carried her across the roof for an experiment, she had called him Cowboy. Danny always told her that he hated it, but deep down, he loved it.

"That it turns you on." She smacked him playfully on the arm, but stopped as he drew her in for another kiss.

Danny felt his mood lighten. Even though nightmares haunted his dreams, he was still had someone to come home to every night, that made him feel better and loved him.

He kissed Lindsay once more, before pulling back and looking into her eyes. "Lindsay," He swallowed, gathering up his nerves. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me. I can have the crappiest day like today, but when I come home to you, I forget everything that happened- I'm happy. Lindsay, you make me happy. I love you so much…and I want," He paused, pulling out a velvet box from his pocket. "I want you to be my wife." He gulped, hoping that she would say yes.

He hadn't been planning on proposing tonight- he had wanted to do it for a while, but never knowing the right time. He had carried the ring around in his pocket for weeks. However, tonight just seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

"Are you serious Danny? You really want to get married?" Lindsay asked him, wondering if her hearing was faulty.

"More than anything."

"Then yes! Yes! I want to get married!" She pulled him into a tight embrace and kissed him. They made love that night more times that night, it seemed, than Danny thought they ever had.

* * *

The next morning, Danny looked down at his sleeping fiancé, and marveled again at how far he had come since meeting Lindsay. The once known ladies-man was now going to get married, settle down with someone for eternity.

If you had told him when Lindsay had first come to the lab, that he would fall madly in love with her and propose, he would have laughed in your face. But now…now he was different. And it wasn't just since his kidnapping. He was changing, and the reason was Montana.

TBC

* * *

**_Well, there you have it! Hopefully you liked the first chapter! _**

**_Now, see the little button below? Yes the one that says "_Submit Review_"...click on it and please tell me what you think!_**

**_Charlotte_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Well, here it is! Chapter 2 if _finally _up! I hope you all like it, so please tell me what you think!_**

**_Disclaimer: I own only the plot. _**

* * *

The next day at the lab seemed to float by for Lindsay. However, neither Danny nor she had informed Mac of their relationship yet, and so the band was placed on a chain around her neck. Even though she couldn't flaunt off her engagement ring, she had never been happier.

Danny would steal secret kisses from her whenever he could, and would wink across the lab if he saw her. He would hold her hand when they drove in the car and wouldn't let it go. Lindsay could imagine that this is how the rest of their lives would be. Just the mere thought gave her shivers.

She knew that Danny would make a loving husband, and if the time came, a wonderful father. Although sometimes they disagreed, he was always gentle and caring. She knew that they would enjoy their time together for eternity.

* * *

Danny caught up with Lindsay outside of the lab the next afternoon. He looked around, and then gave her a quick kiss. "Hey Babe."

"Hey yourself." She smiled, content being in his company. That was another thing that was so great about their relationship- they could sit and talk for hours and not have to succumb to the urge to touch each other. "What's up? I thought you got off shift an hour ago."

"I did…but almost everyone knows about us, except for the lab. And if we're actually going to get married, then I think that it's time we tell them. I want everyone to be there on our big day."

Lindsay nodded- she knew what he meant. This lab had become like a second home for her. But the mere thought of confronting Mac about their relationship put butterflies in her stomach. "Do we have to do it now?"

Danny laughed. "Well, I didn't wait an extra hour to _not _tell him today."

Lindsay sighed in mock defeat. "Fine…let me just put my things away. Then we'll go to our doom." She squeezed his hand and started to walk away.

"Montana!" Danny called after her. "Just to let you know, I paged Mac and said we needed to talk to everyone in 15 minutes. So Stella and Hawkes will be there also."

She glared at him. "Gee, thanks. It's so nice of you to tell me these things ahead of time."

He just smiled.

* * *

The others on their team had already gathered in Mac's office and were just waiting for Danny and Lindsay. None of them knew what this was about, though Stella had a good idea. She was the only one that actually knew about how far they had taken their relationship, and she figured that they had both taken it to the next step. Either Lindsay was pregnant, or they were getting married. Or both.

Finally, Stella spotted the couple a ways down the hall. Danny stopped Lindsay and made her take something off her neck…and put it on her finger. _Oh my gosh! They're getting married!_ She shouted in her head. This is what the meeting had to be about- they were going to tell Mac.

Danny stepped forward and held the door open for Lindsay, and she walked in before him. However it was Danny that spoke.

"Thanks guys, for coming, I mean." It was obvious to everyone that he was nervous, something that almost never happened to Danny. He was always the cool, calm, suave one. "We just needed to talk to you all."

"We?" Hawkes questioned.

"Yeah, we." Noting Stella's eager face, Danny smiled at her. "You already know, don't you Stella?"

She nodded. "When you were missing, Lindsay and I talked." Her face broke into a wide grin. "I'm so happy for you both!"

Both Mac and Sheldon looked extremely confused. Finally, Mac piped up. "Does somebody want to tell me what's going on here? It's obvious that Stella knows, but as for me, I'm pretty much clueless."

Danny looked at Lindsay and nodded. She held out her left hand for Mac to see. "We're getting married!" She gushed to her boss.

Stella pulled Lindsay into a hug and Hawkes slapped Danny on the back. However, Mac just stood there, stunned. "When did this happen?"

Silence descended onto the group, and Danny cleared his throat. Both he and Lindsay had agreed that Danny should tell Mac. It just seemed right. "After when I…well, when I…after I went missing," He finally started- talking about his ordeal was always hard for Danny. "After everything happened, both Lindsay and I realized that for the last year or so we'd been…well, falling for each other. So, we started seeing each other. Last night, I proposed, and we're going to get married." Danny said it quickly, as if he wanted to get everything off his chest as fast as possible.

Mac stared at him stonily. "Why didn't you tell me before now?"

This time it was Lindsay that spoke, albeit it quietly. "We didn't think that you'd let us be together, what with the whole working together thing. After the time we'd spent apart, we couldn't bare it if you put your foot down and said no."

Mac shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "Do you really think that I'm that coldhearted that I would say no if you were really and truly in love?" Both shook their heads in reply.

Stella and Hawkes were standing by, feeling slightly awkward. They didn't want to say anything, for fear of ruining the dialogue between boss and employees, but they both wanted to congratulate the couple. Sadly, they couldn't do anything but wait.

Mac studied the pair in front of him for a moment before a true smile broke out on his face. "Now, all of you," He shot a look toward Stella and Hawkes, "Need to stop acting like I'm going to eat you all up. This is supposed to be a joyous occasion and we're sitting here like somebody's in trouble. What do you say I treat you all to drinks?"

* * *

After Mac's offer, there had been much handshaking, hugging, and all around happiness. The group went to a local bar, and the party went long into the night. Finally, at about 1 o'clock, Mac made them all go home, with the reminder that they _did _have work the next day. However, as they were leaving, Mac pulled Danny and Lindsay aside and told them that as an early gift he was giving them both the day off tomorrow. They both thanked him profusely and jumped in a cab. It was all they could do to stay off each other until they got home.

* * *

**_Well, there it is! Chapter 2! I hope that you like it, and you know what to do. That's right, press the little button down there that says "Submit Review" and tell me what you think. _**

**_Chapter 3 is coming up soon!_**

**_Charlotte_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_WARNING! CHAPTER 2 HAS BEEN REPLACED! THIS IS CHAPTER 3! PLEASE READ CHAPTER 2 FIRST!_**

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**_Well, Chapter 3! Sorry it's so short, but I kinda needed an interlude between the last chapter and the next chapter. Hope you like it!_**

**_Disclaimer: If I owned them, would I be writing on Fanfic?_**

* * *

The next few weeks were full of planning for the wedding, mixed in with many cases at work. Needless to say, it had been very stressful for both Lindsay and Danny.

"Do we have to have it outdoors?" Lindsay asked her fiancé for what felt like the millionth time.

Danny sighed, aggravated. "Lindsay, I really _don't _care where we have it, just so long as we actually _have _the wedding."

"But you keep pushing for Central Park!"

"No, I just keep pushing for a wedding at all!" Both of their voices had raised a notch. They were seated on the couch papers spread out between them, showing the details of different places they could wed, restaurants for the reception, dress shops and tuxedo shops, and even cake shops.

"Then why do we have to do it outside? I just don't understand that!"

"_We don't have to wed outside!_" Danny reiterated with a loud voice.

"_But that's what you want!_" By now, they were both breathing heavily, and mere inches from each other.

Danny closed the space between them, and kissed Lindsay passionately. After a few moments they pulled away, still panting. "What were we talking about again?" Danny joked with her.

She smiled, and immediately all of the tension that had been in the room prior to the kiss vanished. "I'm sorry Danny. I didn't-"

He placed another- but very chaste- kiss on her lips. "Don't apologize. We both just want everything to be perfect and are trying to please the other." He kissed her for a third time, and this one was a bit longer and more passionate than the second. "We just need to talk about it rationally and not try to bend to fit the other's opinion. Okay?"

Lindsay smiled again, thankful that Danny was able to think calmly and realistically. "Okay. I think the first thing that we need to do is decide where the wedding is going to take place. We've been planning for two weeks already and haven't decided on anything. First decision though: outside or inside?"

Danny thought about it for a moment. "Well…"

Finally, the invitations had been sent out, a date set, and all the details worked out. Everything seemed to be going according to plan.

"Yo Mac!" Danny called his boss from across the lab.

"Danny, what is it? I've got to head out to a scene." Mac asked, slightly exasperated because he was running late.

"You did receive the invitation to the wedding, didn't you?" Mac could tell that Danny had something important to ask him, and so he set down the things that he was carrying.

Turning for face Danny full on, he replied. "Yes, I got the invitation. I think a fall wedding will be romantic."

"Thanks…" Danny had a pensive look on his face, and it took a moment before he was finally able to continue. "Mac, I need to ask you something."

"Anything, Danny." After everything that had happened between boss and employee over Danny's employment at the lab, Mac had learned to trust Danny with anything; he had proved himself to be the man that Mac knew he could be.

"Well, if you don't want to…what I mean is…well, if you refuse, I'll understand."

"Danny, just spit it out." Mac smiled.

"Well, even though Flack and Hawkes are some of my best friends and everything…I," Danny took a deep breath and then continued. "I want you to be my best man." Mac stared at Danny a moment before actually comprehending what the younger man was saying. Finally he tuned back in. "Ever since I started working here, you've become a sort of father figure to me, someone that I can look up to and hopefully one day be like. Sometimes, you're even more of a parent to me than my own father is. You've shown me how to be a better man and…" Danny was starting to become emotional, and Mac was amazed. Apparently, he had more effect on the young man than he'd thought.

Mac placed a hand on Danny's shoulder, wanting to stop the tears from coming from Danny's eyes. "I'll do it."

* * *

**_Well, hopefully you like it! Chapter 4 is coming up very very quickly!_**

**_Charlotte_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Well, this is the end. I hope that you like it. And if you don't, tell me what I did wrong. :) _**

**_I'm not sure why I still even say this, but once again, I don't own any bit of this story- other than the storyline of course. _**

**_Here it is, so please read and review!_**

* * *

The day of the wedding finally came. Lindsay was a vision in white. Her hair was done up in a bun, with a few curls framing her face. The dress that she wore was strapless and had lacing up the front. The train that went off the skirt was at least 10 feet long. Her bouquet was of roses of every color, with a few white lillies stuck in between.

Danny was dressed in a fitted black tux, waiting at the alter. Finally, music started to play, and the procession began.

Stella and Mac came down the aisle first; Stella dressed in a black, floor-length gown and Mac in a tux. At the front, they parted ways; Mac standing behind Danny and Stella on the opposite side. Next came Flack with Lindsay's sister, and then finally Sheldon with the other sister. Then it was Lindsay's turn to walk down the aisle.

The world around Danny seemed to become invisible. The only thing he could see what Lindsay walking toward him. The music was drowned out by the sound of their breathing, as if they were the only people in the world. Her smile was the brighter than the sun itself, and her eyes held the love that Danny knew that she felt for him. She was perfect.

For Lindsay, looking at Danny showed her everything she wanted. He looked at her with such love and passion that Lindsay almost melted. She could tell that Danny cared about her more than life itself, and would give up anything for her. He was everything that she could have asked for.

At long last, Lindsay made it to the front and stood in front of Stella. The ceremony started.

* * *

"Then what happened Mom?" Rose asked her mother. The sixteen year-old was sitting on her parents' bed, anxious to hear the rest of the story. Danny and Lindsay's anniversary was that night, and it was tradition that every year, the story of their relationship would be told to the children. No matter how many times it was told, however, their children never tired of the tale. 

Lindsay looked at her children gathered on the bed; first as Rose- their eldest- then to Mackenzie- their second child- and finally to Riley, their youngest daughter. Then she looked at Danny, who -even though he was older- still made her heart flip in her chest. "You finish Danny."

Her husband nodded. "Well…"

* * *

"I do." Danny's voice was strong and certain, like he had been practicing how he would say those two words. 

"And Lindsay Monroe, do you take Danny Messer to be your lawful wedded husband?" The old priest asked the bride.

"I do." She smiled at Danny, whose heart turned in his chest. _You have no idea what you do to me Montana._

"Then by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife." The priest looked at Danny, and said the words he had been waiting to hear for a long time. "You may kiss the bride."

The kiss was unlike any other of their kisses before. It was gentle and loving, but strong and passionate. People started to cheer, and finally the new spouses broke away. The rest of the ceremony passed quickly, and soon Danny and Lindsay were on their way to _The Michelangelo _where the Honeymoon Suite awaited them; it was a gift from the rest of the team.

_Mac had approached Danny and Lindsay a week before the wedding. "Lindsay, Danny, I need to tell you something." They nodded, and as they did, they noticed that Stella, Flack, and Hawkes had just appeared. _

"_Sure thing Mac." Danny asked, sounding slightly confused. And he was confused- what could have happened that he and Lindsay would need to know about?_

"_Well, we decided that we wanted to get you a gift before you go away to France for your honeymoon. So before you leave, we want you to go to The Michelangelo for the night. It's from all of us- you're booked at the Honeymoon Suite in my name."

* * *

_

"And then what?" Riley asked. She has just turned 10, but was mature for her age. She looked almost exactly like Danny, except for the fact that she had chocolate eyes like her mother. Mackenzie looked exactly like her mother but with Danny's eyes. And Rose looked like both of them. Needless to say, they were all beautiful girls.

Danny continued their story. "After that, your mother and I flew to France for two weeks."

"Was it completely romantic?" Mackenzie piped up.

Lindsay laughed, looking at Danny. "Completely."

* * *

They barely left the room at all for the first week that they were there. After that, they decided that they might want to spend a bit of time sightseeing. 

"Well, Mrs. Messer," Danny started, kissing Lindsay with every other word. "What," kiss "do," kiss "you" kiss "want" kiss "want to do" kiss "today?"

Lindsay laughed. "Danny, stop! We have to do-" He kissed her again, at a sensitive spot on her neck, making her shiver. She put his hands on his chest, pushing him away slightly.

"What were you saying again Mrs. Messer?" Neither Lindsay nor Danny could get enough of her new name, the fact that were now man and wife.

"I was saying-"

"Saying that we should stay here?"

"Yes." He kissed her again, and it was just one more day in the hotel room.

* * *

"Gross, Dad! We don't want to hear about _that._" Riley complained, and their other daughters giggled. 

"Yeah Dad, we don't need to hear that stuff. I mean, come on, we just want to hear what happened _after _the honeymoon." Rose interjected.

Danny and Lindsay looked at each other. "After the honeymoon, huh?" Lindsay asked, tickling Mackenzie, the daughter nearest her. "What about it?"

"Dad said…"

* * *

"Danny, hurry! We're going to miss our flight!" Lindsay walked quickly ahead of her husband, trying to reach the terminal in time. The Charles de Gaulle airport was crowded, and their flight was leaving in a matter of minutes. 

"Lindsay, calm down! They already said that the plane wouldn't leave until we got there." Danny was calm, but Lindsay couldn't understand why.

"But we don't want to make those people wait any longer than they already have! Besides, what if the pilot doesn't get the message and leaves anyway?" Lindsay was so stressed out that she was almost crying. The morning had been hectic and hellacious; first Lindsay's suitcase broke minutes before they were supposed to leave. Danny raced to the shop next to their hotel and purchased a duffle bag for her. The duffle bag didn't end up being large enough to fit all of Lindsay's shoes into, and in the van on the way to the airport, husband and wife switched suitcases. If that wasn't bad enough, Danny didn't have exact change for the taxi, because he had left a few Euros on the nightstand. Therefore, the cabbie had to wait while Danny ran into the airport to use an ATM. After successfully locating one, Danny learned that it was out of order, and that the other banking machine was through security. After much haggling, a security officer escorted him through security to the machine and back again to Lindsay.

After finally getting out of the taxi and to the check-in counter, Danny and Lindsay were told that their flight was leaving in 10 minutes, and that their bags would _never _make it on. After Danny pulled the "scary cop" and told the poor woman helping them that they had to be back in the States _with _their bags for a CSI thing (Lindsay cringed when he said "thing"… how much less descriptive could he be?), the flight attendant assured them that both their bags and them would be on the flight. Then, it was only a matter of getting through security, and then on to their gate.

Of course, the line for security was horrendously long, and only Danny made it through without beeping. Lindsay got the full treatment.

"_Are you sure that you took everything metal off your person, Miss?" The security personal helping Lindsay asked her. Lindsay, by this time, was just getting more and more aggravated. _

"_Yes, I'm positive! I took off my belt; I took off my badge, phone, and pager and put them through the scanner. I can't take off my bra, though we've established that it beeps, as do the rivets on my jeans. If you wouldn't like me to remove my pants, then I can, but I don't think that it would help." The woman helping her spoke very little English, but most of the passengers behind Lindsay in line did. And all of those people were turning deep shades of red at Lindsay's previous statement. Danny, on the other hand, found it very hilarious, and was having trouble not laughing. The looks that Lindsay was shooting him didn't help matters. _

"_Please Miss, it's no use to get angry." The timid French woman helping her said, in an effort to calm the irate woman down. _

"_But you won't let me through! I'm going to miss my flight!" Lindsay was reaching hysterics, but Danny wasn't allowed to help her. Cursing, he just stood by and waited. _

After managing to figure out the problem- Lindsay had coins in her pocket that she hadn't realized were there- the couple raced toward the gate as fast as they could.

Now, Lindsay was racing ahead of Danny, and it was all he could do to keep up. "Lindsay! Lindsay, slow down!"

* * *

"Did you and Dad make it on the plane?" Even though Riley had heard this story a million times, they always asked the question. 

"Yeah, we made the plain." Danny answered Lindsay's question.

"And what happened after that?" Mackenzie asked, always the curious one. Both Danny and Lindsay knew that one day, she would become a CSI like her parents; there was something that drove her to figure out the clues, to solve the riddles.

"After that, we got home, and continued working. A year later, Rose was born, then two years after that, we had Mackenzie, and four years later Riley came."

The three daughters looked at one another, contemplating something. "So that means you have been married for seventeen years?" Riley asked in disbelief, almost as if she couldn't imagine how long that was.

"Yep, we've been married for seventeen years." Danny and Lindsay looked at each other with love in their eyes.

Riley piped up again, ruining the romantic moment. "Wow! You're really, really old!"

They all laughed, and after a few more minutes of talking, the parents pushed the children out of their room, telling them it was time for them to get ready for the day ahead.

After they had left, Danny took Lindsay's hand and gave it a kiss. "Ya know, even though we've known each other for all these years, I've never loved you more. You're still as beautiful, charming, loving, and passionate as you ever were. You're still the love of my life, Montana. And I still love you."

Lindsay smiled and kissed her husband on the lips. "And Danny, you're still the romantic man I knew you to be."

Danny smiled. "Now, don't let anyone hear you say that." He looked at her with a smirk on his face, and then whispered, "I've got a reputation to uphold."

Lindsay laughed at him. "And what's that reputation, Danny?"

He leaned in and kissed her again. "The role of wonderful father that will do anything to make his family happy. The role of a man that is so in love with his wife that his heart _still _flips in his chest when he sees her, just like the first time he ever laid eyes on her. The role of tough-guy CSI that was once a notorious player, and is still the most stubborn guy on our team. But not romantic." He smiled. "Never romantic."

Lindsay smirked at him. "If you're not romantic, why do you still bring me two dozen red roses on my birthday _and _anniversary? Or the fact that you line our bedroom with candles _every_ year on our anniversary with rose petals on the bed- which you even clean up in the morning." Her tone was light, but her eyes were serious, and Danny could tell that she loved the fact that he was romantic; that he was hers. "Or the fact that you still tell me everyday how much you love me, and how beautiful I am. Do you now agree that you are, in fact, a romantic man?"

Danny laughed, and kissed her once more. "No."

"So you don't have candles for our bedroom this year?" Lindsay asked, laying her head against him. He put his arms around her and pulled her in even tighter.

"Oh, I do. But I'm not romantic. I'm just Danny. And you're Lindsay. And that's how it is. Danny and Lindsay, Lindsay and Danny. That's just how it's meant to be."

* * *

**_That's the end. I hope that it turned out as well as you could have hoped for. Thanks for all the reviews, and thank you to all the people that diligently followed this story:) _**

**_Charlotte _**


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